Whereas the book would have benefited from a heavy dose of editing, the film avoids Rand’s narrative pitfalls. So far, at least. If the next installments of the trilogy are as good as Part I, I offer my wholehearted endorsement.

Yes, the minuscule – by Hollywood standards – budget of $15 million means obscure actors in a story chock-a-block with characters. Bonnie Raitt’s ex-husband is in there. So are the tubby schlub who played Bill Paxton’s business partner on Big Love; the creepy guy in the diner from Mulholland Drive; the fat, bald guy who screams a lot in a couple of Coen brothers’ movies; a beleaguered wife from St. Elsewhere; and that alien Quark guy from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, too. Everyone else in the cast elevates Kathy Griffin to B-list.

I, too, recognized in the trailer many of the character actors given prominent roles in the movie. They are solid performers who have raised the quality of everything they’ve been in. I have little doubt the actors are up to the task and am looking forward to seeing the film.

Bruce Edward Walker is managing editor of InfoTech & Telecom News. Prior to joining Heartland in 2010, Bruce worked at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy as science editor of the quarterly magazine MichiganScience and communications manager for the center’s Property Rights Network. In the latter position, Bruce won a Communicators Award of Distinction from the International Academy of the Visual Arts for a video he wrote, narrated, and produced, Boardman River Dams, Episode 1: Drawdown and Devastation in Grand Traverse County.